Raksha Bandhan · Worldwide 2026
Raksha Bandhan 2026: 27 August in America & the UK, 28 August in India
Rakhi 2026 falls on different dates in different countries — and both are correct. The Shravana Purnima is one global span (27 Aug 03:39 UT to 28 Aug 04:18 UT); read against each city's own sunrise, it gives Thursday 27 August for the USA, Canada and the UK, and Friday 28 August for India, the Gulf, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Every verdict below is computed for that city — sunrise, tithi and, for North America, the eclipse that is visible there that evening.
By Dr. R.P. Sharma, Vedic astrologer since 1979 · computed from the ephemeris, method stated.
Rakhi 2026 in New York (EST)
Raksha Bandhan in New York: Thursday 27 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 11:39 PM on 26 Aug to 12:18 AM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:20 AM, after the tithi — hence the 27. Note: the lunar eclipse is visible here on the evening of the 27th (local); families observing sutak traditionally complete the rakhi earlier that day. · consult from New York
Rakhi 2026 in Chicago (CST)
Raksha Bandhan in Chicago: Thursday 27 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 10:39 PM on 26 Aug to 11:18 PM on 27 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:13 AM, after the tithi — hence the 27. Note: the lunar eclipse is visible here on the evening of the 27th (local); families observing sutak traditionally complete the rakhi earlier that day. · consult from Chicago
Rakhi 2026 in Houston (CST)
Raksha Bandhan in Houston: Thursday 27 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 10:39 PM on 26 Aug to 11:18 PM on 27 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:58 AM, after the tithi — hence the 27. Note: the lunar eclipse is visible here on the evening of the 27th (local); families observing sutak traditionally complete the rakhi earlier that day. · consult from Houston
Rakhi 2026 in San Francisco Bay Area (PST)
Raksha Bandhan in San Francisco Bay Area: Thursday 27 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 8:39 PM on 26 Aug to 9:18 PM on 27 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:38 AM, after the tithi — hence the 27. Note: the lunar eclipse is visible here on the evening of the 27th (local); families observing sutak traditionally complete the rakhi earlier that day. · consult from San Francisco Bay Area
Rakhi 2026 in Toronto (EST)
Raksha Bandhan in Toronto: Thursday 27 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 11:39 PM on 26 Aug to 12:18 AM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:38 AM, after the tithi — hence the 27. Note: the lunar eclipse is visible here on the evening of the 27th (local); families observing sutak traditionally complete the rakhi earlier that day. · consult from Toronto
Rakhi 2026 in Vancouver (PST)
Raksha Bandhan in Vancouver: Thursday 27 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 8:39 PM on 26 Aug to 9:18 PM on 27 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:25 AM, after the tithi — hence the 27. Note: the lunar eclipse is visible here on the evening of the 27th (local); families observing sutak traditionally complete the rakhi earlier that day. · consult from Vancouver
Rakhi 2026 in London (GMT)
Raksha Bandhan in London: Thursday 27 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 4:39 AM on 27 Aug to 5:18 AM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:08 AM, after the tithi — hence the 27. · consult from London
Rakhi 2026 in Dubai (GST)
Raksha Bandhan in Dubai: Friday 28 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 7:39 AM on 27 Aug to 8:18 AM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 5:59 AM, inside the tithi — hence the 28. · consult from Dubai
Rakhi 2026 in Singapore (SGT)
Raksha Bandhan in Singapore: Friday 28 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 11:39 AM on 27 Aug to 12:18 PM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 7:03 AM, inside the tithi — hence the 28. · consult from Singapore
Rakhi 2026 in Sydney (AEDT)
Raksha Bandhan in Sydney: Friday 28 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 1:39 PM on 27 Aug to 2:18 PM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:20 AM, inside the tithi — hence the 28. · consult from Sydney
Rakhi 2026 in Melbourne (AEDT)
Raksha Bandhan in Melbourne: Friday 28 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 1:39 PM on 27 Aug to 2:18 PM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:49 AM, inside the tithi — hence the 28. · consult from Melbourne
Rakhi 2026 in Auckland (NZDT)
Raksha Bandhan in Auckland: Friday 28 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 3:39 PM on 27 Aug to 4:18 PM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:49 AM, inside the tithi — hence the 28. · consult from Auckland
Rakhi 2026 in Amsterdam / Amstelveen (CET)
Raksha Bandhan in Amsterdam / Amstelveen: Thursday 27 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 5:39 AM on 27 Aug to 6:18 AM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 6:46 AM, after the tithi — hence the 27. · consult from Amsterdam / Amstelveen
Rakhi 2026 in Delhi NCR, India (IST)
Raksha Bandhan in Delhi NCR, India: Friday 28 August 2026. The Purnima runs locally from 9:09 AM on 27 Aug to 9:48 AM on 28 Aug; sunrise on the 28th is 5:58 AM, inside the tithi — hence the 28.
Frequently asked questions
Is Raksha Bandhan 2026 on 27 or 28 August in the USA?
In the USA and Canada, Rakhi 2026 falls on Thursday 27 August — the Shravana Purnima prevails through that entire local day and ends just after midnight into the 28th, so the 28th's sunrise has no purnima. India celebrates on the 28th because the tithi still prevails at Indian sunrise.
Why is the Rakhi date different between India and America?
The tithi is one global span of time (27 Aug 03:39 to 28 Aug 04:18 UT); each country reads it against its own sunrise. At Indian sunrise on the 28th the purnima still runs; at American sunrise on the 28th it has ended — hence 28th in India, 27th in the Americas.
Does the lunar eclipse affect Rakhi in the USA?
In North America the 28 August eclipse IS visible — it falls on the evening/night of 27 August local time (about 9:24 PM to 3:02 AM EDT). Families who observe sutak where an eclipse is visible traditionally complete the rakhi earlier in the day. In India the eclipse is not visible, so no sutak applies there.
What about the UK?
By the local sunrise rule the purnima ends at 5:18 AM on the 28th, before London's sunrise — so the computed date for the UK is 27 August. Many UK families nonetheless follow the India date socially; both practices exist, and we state the computation plainly.
Rakhi, the grahan, and your own chart
In India the 28 August grahan is not visible and no sutak applies — details in the 28 August grahan guide and on the Rakhi 2026 (India) page. For a personal reading, Dr. R.P. Sharma consults online worldwide at a flat fee of ₹5,100.
See also: 28 August grahan — visible in your city? Computed times worldwide.